Beef and Cheese Manicotti (Recipe of the Week!) - looked yummy!

jdkjd wrote: Beef and Cheese Manicotti
Difficulty: Medium
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 6 servings

4 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 pound ground beef
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
14 (8-ounce package) manicotti (large tube pasta)
1 (15-ounce) container whole-milk ricotta
3 cups shredded mozzarella
1 cup grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups marinara sauce
2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

Heat a heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon of the olive oil, onion and ground beef. Season with salt and pepper. Saute until the meat browns and the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, and cool.

Brush 1 teaspoon of oil over a large baking sheet. Cook the manicotti in a large pot of boiling salted water until slightly softened, but still very firm to the bite, about 4 to 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the manicotti from the pot to the oiled baking sheet and cool.

Meanwhile, combine the ricotta, 1 1/2 to 2 cups mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan, and parsley. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper to taste, and mix. Stir the cooled meat mixture into the cheese mixture.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Brush the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil over a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Spoon 1 1/2 cups of the marinara sauce over the bottom of the prepared dish. Fill the manicotti with the cheese-meat mixture.

Arrange the stuffed pasta in a single layer in the prepared dish and spoon the remaining sauce over. Sprinkle the remaining 1 1/2 cups of mozzarella cheese, then the remaining 1/2 cup of Parmesan over the stuffed pasta. Dot entire dish with the butter pieces.

Bake the manicotti uncovered until heated through and the sauce bubbles on the sides of the dish, about 30 to 35 minutes. Let the manicotti stand 5 minutes and serve.

kit_kats_mom replied: Sounds delish....My mouth is watering.

Can you just make up a double batch and ship it on down to us or would you like to come and vist and just make it while you are here?

chloe&tysmommy replied: ooooooh that looks GOOD!!!!! I will have to try that one! Thanks Jenn

5littleladies replied: That looks soooo yummy!!!!! It's definitely going on my menu for next week!!!

jdkjd replied:

jdkjd replied: Any other takers?

Maddie&EthansMom replied: That is making my tummy grumble. It looks SO good! I think one bite would be more than my points for the day. LOL!

jdkjd replied: Suggestions for those watching the calories:

You can get reduced fat ricotta and mozzerella (I wouldn't do the no-fat kind though)

You could also reduce the oil and use ground turkey or ultra lean ground beef and I don't think anyone would notice...

MommyToAshley replied: MMMMM! Sounds yummy.

I will try, but I have a question... this is going to sound really stupid.

But, I am not sure where to buy
1 (15-ounce) container whole-milk ricotta --- Is that in the refrigerated section by the other cheeses? I don't remember seeing it there, does it come in a container like sour cream?

And, where do I buy garlic cloves. I've always used the dehydrated kind. Woudl it be with the fresh vegetables?

See... I told you I had a stupid question.

ediep replied: ricotta is near the sour cream and cottage cheese, it comes in the same type of container.
Garlic is in the produce section

jdkjd replied: Ditto Edie. Should be pretty easy to find. The garlic you can get pre-chopped or even just pre-peeled and whole. All of which should be in the produce near the onions.

chloe&tysmommy replied: I will have to try this out next week when I go shopping in the city...we don't have fancy ingredients out here, just the basics!

MommyToAshley replied: I am going shopping tonight... so one more question. What kind (brand?) of marinara sauce would you recommend?

jdkjd replied: Your fav spaghetti sauce would probably be fine.


Did anyone try this??

Kirstenmumof3 replied: I was just telling my DH the other day that I wanted to make this! Thanks for the recipe!

chloe&tysmommy replied: I made this last night for supper. It tasted really good...instead of the marinara sauce I used pasta sauce and it tasted just fine. But for me it was too much work stuffing all the manicotti and b/c all of the ingredients are used in lasagne, I will just do that next time. It was fun to try something different though